Introduction

Introduction to Psychology

Humanities Department
Questions/Feelings about the course?
  Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior
 Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious
phenomena, including feelings and thoughts
What is  Psychologists aim to understand the behavior of individuals and
Psychology? groups
 Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-
fields of study such areas as human development, sports, health,
clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes
  Contemporary psychology is interested in an enormous range of
topics, looking at human behavior and mental process from the
neural level to the cultural level
History of
Psychology  By understanding the history of psychology, you can gain a better
understanding of how these topics are studied and what we have
learned thus far
 While psychology did not emerge as a separate discipline until the
late 1800s, its earliest history can be traced back to the time of the
early Greeks

 During the 17th-century, the French philosopher Rene Descartes

introduced the idea of dualism, which asserted that the mind and
body were two entities that interact to form the human experience
 Many other issues still debated by psychologists today, such as the
relative contributions of nature vs. nurture are rooted in these
early philosophical traditions

 What makes psychology different from philosophy? While early

philosophers relied on methods such as observation and logic,
today’s psychologists utilize scientific methodologies to study and
draw conclusions about human thought and behavior
Schools of Thoughts in Psychology
  According to the structuralist, human consciousness could be
broken down into smaller parts
Structuralism:  Using a process known as introspection, trained subjects would
Psychology’s attempt to break down their responses and reactions to the most
basic sensation and perceptions
First School of  While structuralism is notable for its emphasis on scientific
Thought research, its methods were unreliable, limiting, and subjective
 When Edward died in 1927, structuralism essentially died with him.
  Psychology flourished in America during the mid- to late-1800s
 Willam James emerged as one of the major American psychologists
during this period and publishing his classic textbook, "The
The Principles of Psychology," established him as the father of
American psychology
Functionalism  The focus of functionalism was about how behavior actually works
of William to help people live in their environment. Functionalists utilized
methods such as direct observation to study the human mind and
James behavior
Both early schools of thought emphasized human consciousness, but
their conceptions of it were significantly different. While the
structuralists sought to break down mental processes into their
smallest parts, the functionalists believed that consciousness existed
as a more continuous and changing process
  Up to this point, early psychology stressed conscious human
experience. An Austrian physician named Sigmund Freud changed
the face of psychology in a dramatic way, proposing a theory of
The Emergence personality that emphasized the importance of the unconscious
of mind
 Freud’s clinical work with patients suffering from hysteria and
Psychoanalysis other ailments led him to believe that early childhood experiences
and unconscious impulses contributed to the development of adult
personality and behavior
  In his book "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life" Freud detailed
how these unconscious thoughts and impulses are expressed,
Psychoanalysis often through dreams
 According to Freud, psychological disorders are the result of these
unconscious conflicts becoming extreme or unbalanced
  The psychoanalytic theory proposed by Sigmund Freud had a
tremendous impact on 20th-century thought, influencing the
mental health field as well as other areas including art, literature,
Psychoanalysis and popular culture
 While many of his ideas are viewed with skepticism today, his
influence on psychology is undeniable
  Psychology changed dramatically during the early 20th-century as
another school of thought known as behaviorism rose to
dominance
The Rise of  Behaviorism was a major change from previous theoretical
Behaviorism perspectives, rejecting the emphasis on both the conscious and
unconscious mind
 Behaviorism strove to make psychology a more scientific discipline
by focusing purely on observable behavior
  Behaviorism had its earliest start with the work of a Russian
physiologist named Ivan Pavlov
 Pavlov's research on the digestive systems of dogs led to his
discovery of the classical conditioning process, which proposed
Behaviorism that behaviors could be learned via conditioned associations
 Pavlov demonstrated that this learning process could be used to
make an association between an environmental stimulus and a
naturally occurring stimulus
  John B. Watson soon became one of the strongest advocates of
behaviorism. Initially outlining the basic principles of this new
school of thought in his 1913 paper Psychology as the Behaviorist
Views It, Watson later went on to offer a definition in his classic
book "Behaviorism" (1924), writing:
"Behaviorism...holds that the subject matter of human psychology is
Behaviorism the behavior of the human being. Behaviorism claims that
consciousness is neither a definite nor a usable concept. The
behaviorist, who has been trained always as an experimentalist,
holds, further, that belief in the existence of consciousness goes back
to the ancient days of superstition and magic.“
  The impact of behaviorism was enormous, and this school of
thought continued to dominate for the next 50 years
Behaviorism  Psychologist B.F. Skinner furthered the behaviorist perspective with
his concept of operant conditioning, which demonstrated the
effect of punishment and reinforcement on behavior
  While behaviorism eventually lost its dominant grip on psychology,
the basic principles of behavioral psychology are still widely in use
today

Behaviorism  Therapeutic techniques such as behavior analysis, behavioral

modification, and token economies are often utilized to help
children learn new skills and overcome maladaptive behaviors,
while conditioning is used in many situations ranging from
parenting to education
  While the first half of the 20th century was dominated by
psychoanalysis and behaviorism, a new school of thought known
as humanistic psychology emerged during the second half of the
century. Often referred to as the "third force" in psychology, this
The Third Force theoretical perspective emphasized conscious experiences

in Psychology  American psychologist Carl Rogers is often considered to be one of

the founders of this school of thought. While psychoanalysts
looked at unconscious impulses and behaviorists focused on
environmental causes, Rogers believed strongly in the power of
free will and self-determination
  Psychologist Abraham Maslow also contributed to humanistic
psychology with his famous hierarchy of needs theory of human
The Third Force motivation.

in Psychology  This theory suggested that people were motivated by increasingly

complex needs. Once the most basic needs are fulfilled, people
then become motivated to pursue higher level needs
  During the 1950s and 1960s, a movement known as the cognitive
revolution began to take hold in psychology. During this time,
Cognitive cognitive psychology began to replace psychoanalysis and
behaviorism as the dominant approach to the study of psychology
Psychology  Psychologists were still interested in looking at observable
behaviors, but they were also concerned with what was going on
inside the mind
  Cognitive psychology has remained a dominant area of psychology
as researchers continue to study things such as perception,
Cognitive memory, decision-making, problem-solving, intelligence, and
language
Psychology  The introduction of brain imaging tools such as MRI and PET scans
have helped improve the ability of researchers to more closely
study the inner workings of the human brain
  Psychology has continued to evolve since 1960 and new ideas and
perspectives have been introduced

Psychology  Recent research in psychology looks at many aspects of the human

experience, from the biological influences on behavior on the
Continues to impact of social and cultural factors

Grow  Most psychologists do not identify themselves with a single school

of thought. Instead, they often focus on a particular specialty area
or perspective, often drawing on ideas from a range of theoretical
backgrounds
 While some of the theories that emerged during the earliest years
of psychology may now be viewed as simplistic, outdated, or
incorrect, these influences shaped the direction of the field and
helped us form a greater understanding of the human mind and
behavior
Fields of Psychology
Brain science  Brain science and cognitive psychologists study how the human
mind thinks, remembers, and learns. They apply psychological
and cognitive science to understand how we make decisions and perceive our
psychology world
Climate and  Climate and environmental psychologists use psychological science
environmental to improve the interactions of people with the world around us.

psychology
Clinical  Clinical psychologists integrate the science of psychology with the
psychology treatment of complex human problems.
Counselling  Counseling psychologists focus on facilitating personal and
Psychology interpersonal functioning across the lifespan
  Developmental psychologists study how people grow and adapt
Developmental over the course of their lives. They apply their research to help
Psychology people overcome developmental challenges and reach their full
potential
Experimental  Experimental psychologists use science to explore the processes
Psychology behind human and animal behavior
  Forensic and public service psychologists use psychological science
Forensic to support the judicial system and other organizations dedicated to
public safety. Their expertise and assessments are important in a
Psychology range of issues that straddle the psychology and legal fields, from
mental competence to youth testimony
Health  Health psychologists use the science of psychology to promote
health, prevent illness, and improve health care. They get to the
Psychology root of people’s emotions to help them make healthy choices
Human factors
 Human factors and engineering psychologists strive to make
and everyday experiences easier, more comfortable, and less
engineering frustrating by applying the psychological science of human
behavior to the products, systems, and devices we use every day.
psychology
  Industrial and organizational psychologists use science to study
Industrial and human behavior in organizations and the workplace

organizational
psychology
Psychology of  Psychologists working in education study how people learn and
teaching and retain knowledge. They apply psychological science to improve the
learning process and promote educational success for all students
learning
  Quantitative psychologists' study and develop the methods and
Quantitative techniques used to measure human behavior and other attributes.
Their work involves the statistical and mathematical modeling of
Psychology psychological processes, the design of research studies, and the
analysis of psychological data
Rehabilitation  Rehabilitation psychologists study individuals with disabilities and
chronic health conditions and help to improve their overall quality
Psychology of life
Social  Social psychologists use psychological science to understand how
we perceive ourselves in relation to the rest of the world and how
Psychology this perception affects our choices, behaviors, and beliefs
Sport &  Sport and performance psychologists use science to study human
behavior and abilities in sport, exercise, and performance. They
Performance help people overcome psychological barriers that can impede their
Psychology achievements and professional success